Assignment #12 3-D Displacement Mapping with Terragen

This week we'll be exploring 3-D displacement mapping with Terragen, the 3-d landscape generator. Our assignment is to create a believable composite image, blending a custom terrain we create with another photograph using the skills we have previously developed this semester.

Custom 3-D displacement maps, also known as height fields, can be easily produced in Photoshop keeping these simple guidelines in mind:

1. Maps must be 257 x 257 pixels at 300 dpi.
2. Maps must be 8 bit.
3. Maps must be Photoshop Raw files.
4. Maps must be grayscale mode.
5. Anything white will rise up in your landscape, anything black will go down.

There are no other rules, so be creative with your terrains. Try making Skull Island and then add your own pirates. Or create your personal dream vacation spot with your name in the landscape.

Once you've got your custom height field created open up Terragen, click Render Preview in the Rendering Control dialogue box to begin your default terrain. Next go to File-Import-Terrain, and select your height field. Click Render Preview again to see the changes that you've made. Go ahead and play around with the Landscape, Cloudscape, Water, and Atmosphere controls in their individual dialogue boxes. You can also make use of the Atmospheres and Surface Maps that came free with your download of Terragen. Simply drag and drop them onto the Terragen program icon and then render preview to apply.

This program is one that you really need to explore on your own. There is no best way to do it. After you've created your landscape, and adjusted the camera angle in the 3-D preview to your liking, render your final image to screen or file and save. Save your file as a tiff and then you can take it into Photoshop and blend it with a real photo.

Terragen Download

Hi all,

Time to explore uncharted territories.

Click here to download Terragen for both Mac and PC.

Remember to download version .9 . Also while you're visiting the site, check out the galleries to see samples of what is possible with this program.


Key Commands for 3-D Preview:

Forward: Up arrow or W key, hold option to move in small amounts
Backward: Down arrow or S key, hold option to move in small amounts
Turn Left: Left arrow or A key, hold option to move left
Turn Right: Right arrow or D key, hold option to move right
Raise Camera: "+" key
Lower Camera: "-" key
Pitch Up: P key, hold option to pitch down
Bank Right: B key, hold option to bank left
Orbit Right: O key, hold option to orbit left
Display Frame Rate: F key
Mini Map: M key

You can also click and drag your mouse to move the view, much like in a first person game. Also, holding down the Shift key while using many of the other functions will allow you to move twice as fast, like running.

Assignment Week #11 2-D Displacement Mapping

This week we'll be creating an image using a 2-D displacement map. Displacement mapping is the technique used to map one surface onto another according to the values in luminance. This is used quite a bit in trying to add a design or text onto a textured surface. Here's how we do it.

1. Open your image in Photoshop.
2. Create a text layer (or whatever else you plan to on mapping onto your original). When you've got what you want make sure the layer is raster and not vector. All text and shape layers are vectors. You can rasterize them through the Layer menu under Rasterize - type, shape, etc.
3. Turn off your text layer and save your background to your desktop as a .psd file. This is your displacement map.
4. Open your new displacement map file.
5. In your Channels box, select the green channel and invert it (command + i). Save and close the file.
5. Open your original file and turn your text layer back on and have it selected.
6. Under the Filter menu go to Distort-Displace. Say OK to all of the default settings the first time. Choose your displacement map that you saved to the desktop and open it.
7. Repeat step 6 until you are happy with it. Visually it should feel as the your text is physically laying onto of your background.
8. To improve the effect, double-click on your text layer to open the layer style dialogue box. Under the Blending options you will see a box titled Blend if: with Gray selected. Here you can adjust the Underlying Layer by sliding the triangles. Option-clicking will allow you to split the triangles and give you greater control. Try bringing in the highlights. Say OK when done.
9. Try blurring your text layer a little, lowering the opacity, and exploring the different blending modes until you've got something you're proud of.

Assignment #10 High Dynamic Range Photography

This week's assignment is to create a High Dynamic Range image with the help of Adobe Photoshop or Photomatix Pro. As we discussed in class, HDR is used to expand the amount of light information in an image far beyond what is possible with a single exposure by combining multiple captures that are created over a wide range of exposures.

Some of the recommended HDR capture techiniques include using a tripod and setting your camera to auto-exposure bracketing, processing a single raw file in multiple exposures with 5 images at 2 stop intervals for landscapes and 1/2 stop intervals for portraits. Make sure to keep your aperture setting the same through all exposures so as not to change your depth of field. Instead adjust your shutter speed. It's always best to keep a low ISO to keep down the noise.

Once you've got your exposures creating a HDR image is fairly simple, with nearly endless possibilities to adjust the image to your own personal taste. We'll start with Photoshop:

1. Use the File-Automate-Merge to HDR function to load your files.
2. Adjust the white point setting to your liking, feel free to try turning on and off layers, click OK.
3. Duplicate your file.
4. Converting it to 16 bit will open the HDR conversion dialogue box, allowing you to adjust the Exposure and Gamma, as well as adjust the Toning Curve and Histogram under the Local Adaptation method. Click OK when you've got something you like.

Photomatix is an indepent program which is made specifically for creating and tone mapping HDR images. Here's how we do it:

1. Drag and drop your files onto the Photomatix icon, select Generate an HDR image, and say ok through all of the dialogue boxes using the default settings.
2. When your new HDR image opens, click the Tone Mapping button in the new dialogue box.
3. Explore the many options in Details Enhancer and Tone Compressor settings.
4. Click Process when you're done and save your file as a 16 bit Tiff.

You'll notice some differences in the results from each process right away. Feel free to explore both if you're able to get your hands on a copy of Photomatix. Keep in mind tha HDR has become a highly commercialized look so have fun pushing it to a new artist level.

Blending Modes

This is a long one, but here's what Adobe says about what is going on with each of the different layer blending modes. Many thanks also for their engaging visuals above.


Normal Edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. This is the default mode. (Normal mode is called Threshold when you’re working with a bitmapped or indexed-color image.)

Dissolve Edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. However, the result color is a random replacement of the pixels with the base color or the blend color, depending on the opacity at any pixel location.

Darken Looks at the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend color—whichever is darker—as the result color. Pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change.

Multiply Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. The result color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color with black produces black. Multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged. When you’re painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a painting tool produce progressively darker colors. The effect is similar to drawing on the image with multiple marking pens.

Color Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the contrast. Blending with white produces no change.

Linear Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no change.

Darker Color Compares the total of all channel values for the blend and base color and displays the lower value color. Darker Color does not produce a third color, which can result from the Darken blend, because it chooses the lowest channel values from both the base and the blend color to create the result color.

Lighten Looks at the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend color—whichever is lighter—as the result color. Pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change.

Screen Looks at each channel’s color information and multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The result color is always a lighter color. Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white. The effect is similar to projecting multiple photographic slides on top of each other.

Color Dodge Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the contrast. Blending with black produces no change.

Linear Dodge (Add) Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change.

Lighter Color Compares the total of all channel values for the blend and base color and displays the higher value color. Lighter Color does not produce a third color, which can result from the Lighten blend, because it chooses the highest channel values from both the base and blend color to create the result color.

Overlay Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color. Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is not replaced, but mixed with the blend color to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original color.

Soft Light Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused spotlight on the image. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened as if it were dodged. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white produces a distinctly darker or lighter area, but does not result in pure black or white.

Hard Light Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the image. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful for adding highlights to an image. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened, as if it were multiplied. This is useful for adding shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white.

Vivid Light Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by decreasing the contrast. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by increasing the contrast.

Linear Light Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by increasing the brightness. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by decreasing the brightness.

Pin Light Replaces the colors, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. This is useful for adding special effects to an image.

Hard Mix Adds the red, green and blue channel values of the blend color to the RGB values of the base color. If the resulting sum for a channel is 255 or greater, it receives a value of 255; if less than 255, a value of 0. Therefore, all blended pixels have red, green, and blue channel values of either 0 or 255. This changes all pixels to primary colors: red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, magenta, white, or black.

Difference Looks at the color information in each channel and subtracts either the blend color from the base color or the base color from the blend color, depending on which has the greater brightness value. Blending with white inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.

Exclusion Creates an effect similar to but lower in contrast than the Difference mode. Blending with white inverts the base color values. Blending with black produces no change.

Hue Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the base color and the hue of the blend color.

Saturation Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color. Painting with this mode in an area with no (0) saturation (gray) causes no change.

Color Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This preserves the gray levels in the image and is useful for coloring monochrome images and for tinting color images.

Luminosity Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color. This mode creates the inverse effect of Color mode.

Assignment #9 Digital Tilt-Shift Miniaturization

For this assignment we'll be entering the wonderful world of miniaturization through digital tilt-shift. As we discussed in class this process creates the illusion that we are looking at a very small, yet infinitely detailed and realistic, scale model of the world. To achieve this effect we'll follow these simple steps in Photoshop:

1. In the quick mask mode (keyboard quick key Q) use the reflected gradient tool (G) to draw a line over the part of your image you would like to be in sharp focus.

2. Exit the quick mask mode and open the lens blur dialogue box under the filters menu.

3. Adjust the iris options to achieve the blur of your dreams, and click OK.

To further mimic the toy-like characteristics of your image try adjusting the saturation and contrast levels so that content appears more plastic.

To maximize the tilt-shift effect you'll want to take some time to think about your image and how it fits into the general psyche of miniatures. A perspective from above often works the best just as we would normally be peering down into a scale model. Try placing you gradient for sharp focus in a few different areas of your photo until you hit the sweet spot where it feels the most natural. Finally just have fun and experiment. This is a quick and easy image processing assignment that you should all enjoy and make you feel like a giant.

Assignment #8 Image Processing

For this week's assignment we will be experimenting with some of the image processing techniques we've learned with an eye towards the Halloween spirit. With this one I'm going for a spooky what's behind that door kind of look. Enjoy!

Bandpass Filtering

The bandpass filter is an effect that expands upon the basis of all image sharpening techniques. Sharpening processes compare the high and low frequency of two image layers allowing for or taking away the appearance of sharpness. To create a bandpass filter we will follow the the formula above.

Begin by duplicating your image so that you have 3 identical files. Using a Gaussian blur filter give the first file a "lesser blur" with a radius of 4 pixels. Do the same for the second file but give it a "greater blur" with a radius of 6 pixels. Making sure that you have the second file selected, go to Apply Image. Your source will be the lesser blur file, and the target will be the greater blur file. Change the blend mode to subtract and click OK. Your greater blur file will appear black at first, but by creating a levels adjustment layer we can push the image until we clearly see the edge detection. Repeat the process to your third original file, this time using your newly changed greater blur file as the source, and changing the blend mode to add.

Your final product should look something like the image above, but all images vary and will need individual tweaking to get the best results.

Luminosity vs. Chroma

This week we begin our in depth investigation of image processing. For the next few weeks we'll be looking into a variety of key terms and techniques. Our goal is achieve a better understanding of what goes on with our files when we process images and then to use this information towards individual pursuits.

Luminosity: the light-dark information in our image.
Chroma: the color information in our image.
Point Operation: changes made on the pixel level, such as using a paintbrush.
Neighborhood Operation: changes made to an entire image, such as using a blur filter.

Above you'll see an image plus the separation of the luminous and chroma information of the same image file, each layered over a neutral 50% grey background.

Assignment #7 MakeCubic Cubic Space

This week we'll be using MakeCubic again to create an interactive space. However this time it will be cubic instead of spherical. Here's the pattern and orientation to use while making your cubic space. The shape lends itself especially well to architectural spaces, but don't let that stop you from exploring other possibilities including optical illusions and visual abstractions.

The first step is to create the 6 sides of the cubes as 6 separate files. It's important to make sure all of the files are equal size in pixel dimensions. When designing your space keep in mind the orientation of how MakeCubic will assemble the pieces. To blend the edges and corners of the sides you'll have to combine and rotate sides in Photoshop and then separate them again.

Then it's just drag and drop our image files onto the MakeCubic program icon and let it do the rest. Once our .mov file is created we can navigate the space with our arrow keys, shift to zoom in, and control to zoom out.

(Sorry sample video doesn't work on the blog)

Fish Bowl

While my field trip to the Liquid CGI University wasn't all that fulfilling, I did find out about a company called Papervision which is pushing the field of computer generated imagery with real-time animation rendering. Check it out here:

Papervision3d.org

It takes a little while to load but once it does this fish tank interactive animation is a lot of fun. You'll quickly notice that this 360 degree space is interactive, with the perspective following the position of your mouse, and the fish reacting to your click. Try the different modes, located in the bottom right corner. What's quietly amazing about this is that it's not just a pre-made Flash animation, but is actually rendering as you go. Enjoy.